anger

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The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated as “anger” or similar in English in this verse is translated with a variety of solutions (Bratcher / Nida says: “Since anger has so many manifestations and seems to affect so many aspects of personality, it is not strange that expressions used to describe this emotional response are so varied”).

  • Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “be warm inside”
  • Mende: “have a cut heart”
  • Mískito: “have a split heart”
  • Tzotzil: “have a hot heart”
  • Mossi: “a swollen heart”
  • Western Kanjobal: “fire of the viscera”
  • San Blas Kuna: “pain in the heart”
  • Chimborazo Highland Quichua: “not with good eye”
  • Chichewa: “have a burning heart” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation) (see also anger burned in him)
  • Citak: two different terms, one meaning “angry” and one meaning “offended,” both are actually descriptions of facial expressions. The former can be represented by an angry stretching of the eyes or by an angry frown. The latter is similarly expressed by an offended type of frown with one’s head lowered. (Source: Graham Ogden)

In Akan, a number of metaphors are used, most importantly abufuo, lit. “weedy chest” (the chest is seen as a container that contains the heart but can also metaphorically be filled with other fluids etc.), but also abufuhyeε lit. “hot/burning weedy chest” and anibereε, lit. “reddened eyes.” (Source: Gladys Nyarko Ansah in Kövecses / Benczes / Szelid 2024, p. 21ff.)

See also God’s anger and angry.

complete verse (Proverbs 21:14)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 21:14:

  • Kupsabiny: “A bribe subdues anger
    and ends the fierceness of a person.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “A hidden gift will extinguish anger.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “If you (sing.) give-a-gift in secret to a person who is angry with you (sing.), his anger will-vanish.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “It is possible for extreme anger to-be-removed by-means-of a bribe.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “When someone is angry with you,
    if you secretly give him a gift, he will stop being angry.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Proverbs 21:14

The two lines of this verse are parallel in both form and meaning. Without praising or condemning what is done, the saying notes the power of a gift or bribe to overcome a dangerous situation.

“A gift in secret averts anger”: The word “gift” translates the normal neutral Hebrew term for giving (see 18.16). People in every culture understand about giving; however, in some languages the verb form is normally used, and this may require naming the person who gives and possibly also the person who receives. It seems clear in this context that the person who gives the “gift” is the one likely to be hurt by another person’s “anger”. Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version make this clear by using the pronoun “you.” But who is the gift given to? Good News Translation suggests that it is given to the angry person, so that it “will calm him down”; but this is not the only possibility. Scott says that the verse is “possibly a reference to settling a case out of court, or to bribing a judge who is about to condemn the offender,” and Toy says that “the reference is to dealing with judges and other great men.” The expression “gift in secret”, along with the parallel expression in the next line, suggests that the reference is to a bribe, that is, a gift intended to influence someone to change their course of action. “Averts” is a rare Hebrew term that may have the sense of “subduing” or “turning aside” the person’s anger. In this context “soothes” (New International Version) and “appeases” (Revised English Bible) are both quite appropriate in English.

“And a bribe in the bosom, strong wrath”: There is no verb in this line, and we should understand the verb from the previous line here also. “A bribe” is definitely not a neutral term, but one that has a bad sense; it means giving money or some other gift, usually in a secret way, in order to get someone to act in a way that may not be right or fair. The element of secrecy is expressed by the figurative “in the bosom”, meaning “hidden under the clothing.” See comments at 17.23. “Strong wrath” is the parallel expression to “anger” in the first line; but as is often the case in this type of parallelism, it is more powerful or intense than the term it matches. It may be expressed in English as “fierce rage” or “raging fury” (New Jerusalem Bible).

Since the two lines are very similar in meaning, and since there is only one verb in the verse, it is possible to express the thought in a single sentence; for example, Contemporary English Version has “A secret bribe will save you from someone’s fierce anger.” Another way of expressing this is “If someone is angry with you, you can give him a present when no one is looking, and his anger will finish.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 21:14

21:14

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

14a
A gift in secret soothes anger,

14b and a covert bribe pacifies great wrath.

As in 17:8 and 18:16, this proverb does not express approval or disapproval of the practice of giving secret gifts or bribes. It merely comments that they are effective in calming a person’s anger.

21:14a–b

A gift in secret…a covert bribe: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a covert bribe is literally “in the bosom.” It is similar to the phrase “from the bosom” in 17:23a. The Berean Standard Bible translated that phrase as “a covert bribe” also.

Here both phrases refer to giving a gift or bribe secretly or privately, without other people knowing about it. As is common with parallel pairs, the first term has a general meaning. The second term is more specific and vivid. It describes the bribe as being covert. It is hidden or out of sight in a pocket or a fold in the front of someone’s robe.

Some other ways to translate these parallel phrases are:

a secret gift…a bribe under the table (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
a gift in secret…a concealed bribe (English Standard Version)

The New Living Translation (2004) has used a figure of speech, “under the table,” that is natural in English. If your language has a figurative way to describe a bribe that is given secretly, consider using it here.

A gift…a…bribe: The first of these two parallel terms has a neutral meaning. It can refer to any kind of gift.

bribe: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as bribe usually has a bad meaning. However, in some contexts, it has a good meaning. There are two ways to interpret the word here:

(1) The word has a bad meaning, because it is given secretly. It should be translated as “bribe.” For example:

a secret bribe (God’s Word)

(2) The word has a good meaning, because its purpose is to soothe a person’s anger. It should be translated as “gift ” or “present.” For example:

a present in private (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Both parallel lines refer to something that a person gives in order to influence another person’s behavior. If you translate “gift” in the first line and “bribe” in the second line, the proverb will apply to more contexts.

If you combine the parallel lines, it is recommended that you use both terms. See the General Comment on 21:14a–b below.

soothes anger…pacifies great wrath: Both parallel phrases refer to calming or turning aside the anger of the person who receives the gift/bribe. As is common in parallelism, the second phrase is more emphatic than the first. But both lines refer to the same situation. Some other ways to translate these parallel phrases are:

subdues anger…fierce rage (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
-or-
calms anger…calms great fury (God’s Word)

In Hebrew, there is an ellipsis in the second phrase. The Berean Standard Bible has supplied the verb pacifies, a synonym of soothes in the first phrase, to make the meaning clearer in English.

General Comment on 21:14a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine the two parallel lines. For example:

If someone is very angry with you, secretly giving him a gift or bribe will calm his anger.

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